One five-year-old boy is very lucky after surviving a mauling by a mountain lion in Southern California this past weekend.
According to the California state rangers, they euthanized the cast on September 3 following the attack.
The boy, who has not been identified, was at the Malibu Creek State Park west of LA with his family over Labor Day weekend when the encounter occurred. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said he was with a group of friends and family from Woodland Hills who set out for a picnic.
There are not many details on the attack, but the CDFW said the cat attacked the young boy, and at least one of the grown-ups “charged” the mountain lion, which then released the child. Witnesses said the cat ran up a tree near where they were after the attack.
The injured child was taken by helicopter to Northridge Hospital and was released the morning of Monday, September 2. This likely indicates that his injuries were fairly minor.
Park rangers made quick work of the cat, shooting it dead while it was still sitting in the tree it climbed after contact with the boy and his family. Park rangers decide to kill wild animals when their behavior indicates they’re a lethal threat to humans. This is unusual with large cats, who generally keep away from humans.
Mountain lion attacks in California do occur, but not with any regularity. Publicly available reports conflict. Some say that there have been only 20 confirmed attacks in the state, but do not specify if that means 20 per year, or 20 in all recorded history. Other reports claim there have been about 50 reported mountain lion attacks in the Golden State since the late 1800s.
One man did lose his life to a big cat earlier in 2024 when he was hiking in Northern California with his two brothers. The cat stalked the trio and then pounced. Two of the brothers tried to frighten the cat, but it was too late, and the third brother died in the mauling.
